William j



(No Model.)

w. J. 0'. BRYON, Jr.

AIR CYLINDER.

No. 483,829. Patented Oct. 4, 1892.

U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. 0. BRYON, JR, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

AIR-CYLINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 483,829, dated October4, 1892.

Application filed December 5, 1891.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. O. BRYON, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Fluid or Air Cylinders, of whichthe following description, taken in connection with the drawingsherewith accompanying is a specification.

My invention relates to cylinders which in the present instance areparticularly adapted for use in connection with exercising-Inachines toserve as the resisting power in the same; and my present inventionconsists of an improvement or modification of the means for giving auniformly-varying degree of pressure to the piston from a maximum degreeat one end of its stroke to a minimum degree toward its opposite end, asembodied in an application of mine now pending, bearing Serial No.405,388 and filed September 11, 1891.

The stroke-regulating device as embodied in my abovementionedapplication is located within the cylinder at a point between thepiston-rod and the inner wall of said cylinder and extends through anopening in the piston. This location of the stroke-regulating device orrod in the space between the piston and the wall of the cylinder may beobjectionable in some cases, and especially so in cylinders of smalldiameter, where it is desirable to have such space unobstructed andsecure the full capacity of the cylinder. In order to secure suchunobstructed space between the piston and wall of the cylinder and atthe same time provide means for regulating the stroke of the piston in amanner as before referred to and at a reduced cost has been the objectof my present invention, which object I attain by the means as willhereinafter be described in detail, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 repre sents a longitudinal sectionalView through the center of a cylinder embodying my in vention, showingthe piston at the end of its forward stroke. Fig. 2 represents across-section of the same through line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4represent a longitudinal section through the center and a cross-section,

Serial No. 414,037. on model.) I

respectively, of the regulating rod or device in a modified form.

To explain in detail, Ct represents the cylinder; a a, thecylinder-heads, b, the piston- 5 5 rod; 12, the piston, and c the valve.The piston b is provided with the usual openings 19 which are adapted tobe closed by the valve when moved in one direction and opened to allowthe fluid or air to pass through the same when moved in the oppositedirection in a manner as well understood by those skilled in the art.

According to my present invention the piston-rod b is made hollow, withan .open inner end, and a regulating device consisting of a rod d isinserted therein and held stationary in its relation to the cylinder bybeing secured at one end to one of the cylinderheads. As shown in Fig.1, this rod 11 at its free end and for part way of its length is ofsufficient diameter to fill or close the opening in the piston-rod andfor the rest of its length gradually tapers toward its opposite end,forming an opening or passage between its surface and the inner wall ofthe piston-rod of gradually-increasing dimensions from its beginning toits opposite end. The openings 1) are adapted to be closed when thepiston is at the forward end of the cylinder and at the beginning of itsstroke by the enlarged end of the rod d being in close or actual contactwith the inner wall of the pistonrod adjacent to said openings b thuscutting off communication between the opposite ends of the cyl- 8 5inder-chamber and making a maximum degree of pressure to the piston.This pressure continues until the piston has been moved a sufficientdistance to bring the openings 17 to a point where the rod (1 begins totaper or decrease in size and form a slight outlet or passage for thefluid to pass from the advancing side of the piston to the retreatingside, thus serving to relieve the pressure to the piston, which pressureis gradually relieved 9 5 as the piston moves toward the end of itsstroke by reason of the graduallydncreasing size of the opening orpassage between the rod cl and the inner wall of the piston-rod, until aminimum degree of pressure is reached at the end of the stroke, as willbe readily understood by those skilled in the art.

I do not wish to be understood as confining myself to the particularform of the rod d as shown in Fig. 1 to produce the desired result, asdescribed, as it is obvious that the same may be formed in various wayswithout departing from the spirit of my invention. For instance,referring to Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown the rod 01 in a modified form.In this instance the rod is of the same size or diameter its entirelength and may be provided with one or more grooves, as shown at d,which gradually increases in size from a point at the forward end of therod toward its rear end in such manner as to allow of an increased flowfrom one portion of the cylinder-chamber to the other as the pistonmoves toward the 7 end of its stroke, as will appear obvious.

The uniform degree of pressure to the piston for its entire stroke, asdistinctive from the varying degree of pressure, as described, may beregulated by increasing or diminishing the number of the openings b orin case of one opening by adjusting the size of the same in order toregulate the flow of fluid or air'through it by means of an adjustableplate or device 6, which may be moved or adjusted by means of anadjusting-screw e in its relation to the said openings 6 to regulate thenumber or size of the same, as will be readily understood.

Having thus set forth my invention, I do not Wish to be understood asconfining myself to the particular construction or arrangement of theparts as described, as it is obvious that various changes might be madeWithout departing from the spirit of my invention; but- What I do claim,and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A cylinder provided with a piston, a valve, a hollow piston-rodhaving openings communicating with the cylinder-chamber at oppositesides of the piston, anda rod extending into said hollow piston-rod,constructed in a manner to allow for a uniformly increasing ordecreasing flowof fluid or air from one end of the cylinder-chamber tothe other through the opening in the piston-rod as the piston moves fromone end of its stroke to the other, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

2. A cylinder provided with a piston, ahollow piston-rod having openingsor outlets communicating with opposite sides of the cylinder-chamber,and a device for adjusting the size of one of said outlets to regulatethe pressure to the piston, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

A cylinder provided with a piston, a hollow piston-rod provided withopenings or outlets communicating with the cylinder-chamber at oppositesides of the piston, a rod or device extending within said hollow pistonto form a variable passage between said openings, and a device forregulating the size or capacity of one of said outlets in the pistonrod,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM J. O. BRYON, JR.

Witnesses: v

CHAS. F. DANE, ANNIE L. HAYES.

